This year I embarked on the most beneficial journey of my life. I was able to meet amazing people, grow deeper into my yoga practice and learn how to guide others into their practice. An experience that I will never forget!

The photo above was captured the first night of training and the last photo was captured on the last night we all gathered. We all started out our relationships with total strangers but soon became the best of friends. I remember thinking to myself "I'm going to bond with these people because of yoga. How incredibly blessed am I". Blessed I truly was. From the nights we spent practice teaching to the day we did karma yoga at the beach, I formed the tightest bonds with my fellow yogis.

My nerves were calmed when we opened the first session with an OM. It was my first experience and it totally shifted my mood completely. We gathered in a circle siting cross-legged with our left hand on our hearts and our right hand on our neighbors upper back. With two deep breaths in and two breaths out, we began creating vibrations with our vocals. Getting to feel everyone's vibrations flow throughout the room was truly magical.

By week four we finished going through the C1 sequence and covered the rest of the adjustments we learned. I felt a sense of nostalgia thinking that just yesterday we started going through the integration series of the C1. There was a beautiful transition happening inside me that I can't help but embrace.

Yoga anatomy was broken up into two 4 hour sessions the same week. I think we all kind of forgot about how fast training was going by at this point. Anatomy was one of the lectures I was looking forward to the most. We took on quite a bit of information that really broke down the "why" of what we teach. Re learning about the muscle groups and what purpose fascia serves in our bodies was eye opening. Suddenly I felt how right everything was. This is where I needed to be and what I needed to be doing. I was becoming more of what I wanted to be, a yoga teacher.

Our last night together as a group of 18 newly found teachers, we shared in a group circle. These people were no longer total strangers to me but 17 of the most inspiring humans I've ever met. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them and send my positive vibes. Below is a poem I read to my fellow yogis that describes how training felt for me. The title is linked to where I found it!

You carry a whole world with you.A planet rests upon your shoulders.You may not see it, but I do.

There is a Universe Within that you carry wherever you go.Ecosystems of passion and romance. Warring nations of worry and fear.A billion living ideas, stories and experiences that make up a whole historynamed You.

Wherever you go, I promise to be your sun.

It’s not that your life revolves around me.Think of it like this:Whenever you come to me, I will do my best to be quiet and stilland shine nothing but kindness and light upon you.

Fast forward to finishing training in June, journaling and essays have become a way of life. "Gotta get this done" has been a repetitive mantra for months now. I'm proud of myself for finishing the program and working towards such a big goal of mine. The support from my parents, boyfriend and friends has been a big motivator for me and I don't honestly know where I would be without them! Thank you for always believing in me. NAMASTE!

Most people assume that being pretty makes you a good model. This idea couldn't be more wrong! Being a good model means a lot of things including the understanding that you are the canvas. It also takes years for models to get the recognition they have worked for.

Wikipedia's definition for model (person): A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows), or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography.

Curiosity got me thinking about the perspectives of Photographers and Models. What attributes they consider a good model. So, I decided to ask the professionals on this one ;) Here is what I was given.

Being a good actor/actress, selling a story without a pose - You don't have to use complex poses to create a good photo! A well composed face that encompasses an emotion will create a great photograph. Practicing different facial expressions in the mirror helps make it easier to pose the face during a shoot or set. Finding a story behind the persona or character that you are portraying is key to developing facial expressions.

Facial and eye expressions - Again practicing different facial expressions in the mirror helps make it easier to pose the face during a shoot or set. No need to say that twice!

Confidence! - This is a lot harder to achieve than just saying it. Confidence comes from allowing yourself to be who you want to be. Not limiting yourself to what others may think or feel about you. This is the way you look and this is the way you feel right now. Love that about yourself and the confidence will show on camera.

A wide variety of experience, daring attitude and brings other talents into their work - Having a wide variety in your portfolio is more likely to land you bigger gigs. Learning basic hair and makeup can also make you more marketable as a model. Just by trying on different hats and getting out of your comfort zone can create more growth in your career.

Fluid posing! - Now this is something that takes time to obtain. Moving from one pose to a variation of the previous pose should be free flowing but not straining. My recommendation to models is to stretch your body out before you start shooting so that your body is warmed up for full body movement. This allows you to move more fluidly and also not tire your body out too quickly.

Dedicated to their passion - This goes without saying for all professions. If you're not passionate about what you're doing then you won't go very far. Modeling can be a hobby for some but for most it is a highly dedicated career. Taking your work seriously will ultimately allow you to go as far as you want to take it.

An open mind - This one could easily go alongside a wide variety of experience. Having an open mind can open many doors for you. Especially when you get the chance to work with other creatives who also posses an open mind. Perhaps both of you create even more beautiful work because you stay open to new ideas.

Professional attitude - Pretty self explanatory here! Showing up on time, hair and makeup ready with wardrobe to put together into outfits will impress anyone you work with. It will also create a well respected reputation in the industry. And that never hurts your career!

I thought all of these were quite valid in terms of what makes a model good at what they do. There were a handful of other comments but these were the best of the bunch. I found it interesting that both photographers and models were making these comments. There is a lot of negativity in the creative industry, not that there isn’t positivity too but harsher criticism for sure. I honestly felt that the reaction I was getting from others was very much positive. I really had thought that maybe there would be a couple people who wouldn’t take it seriously at all and poke fun. There’s a warm feeling that goes along with moments like these. I think it’s one that doesn’t come as often as many think, coming together as one. The feeling of hope.

Hopefully, this list above helps aid you in your search for talented models to work with.

Hi, I'm Mandee Rose! I'm a 30 year old Graphic Designer/Photographer/Yoga Instructor. In my spare time I like to experiment with makeup application, craft props for my shoots and scout for new locations in my area. My specialty is to shoot fashion and artistic type of work where I can explore new ways to express my visions.

Born and raised in Connecticut, I moved to Los Angeles 4 years ago to pursue my creative career then ended up becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor. 200 Hour Power Yoga with CorePower Yoga and 50 Hour Yin Yoga with Bianca Fearon. When I'm not expressing my love for all things art, I teach Power Flow/Fusion/Restorative/Yin Yoga to all levels and ages. I've been personally practicing for the last 7 years and teaching for 2. For me, sharing Yoga is my way of giving back to the world. Restoring our bodies and minds to a natural state of consciousness. Yoga has been a mental and physical release for me. My initial reason for practicing was to help heal my Scoliosis and to become more aware of my Hyper Mobility. You can find me photographing live subjects of all kinds, practicing with two blocks always or making my favorite smoothie bowls.